Secrets Held Within
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Chapter 8
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Krad's form lay limply in the chair, and Dark rapidly brushed the bangs out of the other's face. The blonde had taken on a peaceful expression and was breathing slowly.
So then…Krad was asleep?
That's all it seemed to be, Dark concluded as he checked to make sure the blonde had just been taken into a deep sleep after wearing himself out.
"So…" Dark murmured as he stood up. "I can't just leave you there… when you wake up you're back'll hurt like hell…so…"
He looked about for a moment, and then decided to place Krad atop the couch he had previously been sitting upon.
Reaching over, he lifted the blonde effortlessly and lay him down on said couch, scoffing at how light the other male was.
"Geeze…don't you eat?" he said to the sleeping figure, well aware of the fact that he couldn't hear him.
Shrugging it off, Dark pulled a thick, worn blanket from the end of the couch and covered the blonde with it before looking down upon him, fondly.
He didn't know how long he stared, but by the time he finally roused himself, he noted quite strongly that his legs were sore and cramped. Cursing himself, Dark stretched and groaned quietly, as not to wake the sleeping figure that lay before him. He doubted he could wake him anyway, but no use not being cautious.
On impulse, he reached down to stroke the blonde's face gently, for reasons he could not even begin to comprehend himself. Upon contact, Dark frowned, noting that Krad's face was rather warm. Drawing his hand to lightly feel the temperature of the blonde's forehead, Dark's frown deepened when he realized that Krad had attained a fever.
Walking over to where the basin of water had been, watching the bright candles shimmer off the small, thin layer of water that remained in it, Dark decided that he would need to fetch some more water if he was going to help bring down the blonde's fever.
He walked over to the front door, his boots hitting the old wood floors heavily, and looked out the window that stood next to it.
The moon was veiled by a thick sheen of clouds, and left little light to shed upon the ground. Dimly making out a well in the far left hand corner of the yard, the one closest to a grove of trees, Dark grabbed a pail sitting by the door and headed off to fill it.
The air was brisk, and icy and it hit him hardly as he stepped out of the sanctuary of the mansion's walls. He shuddered, and found himself wanting to go back inside the warm walls, and sit with Krad, but he knew he had to get some water, first.
It wasn't long before he became accustomed to the chill, biting winds, and began to make his way over to the fount, lazily watching as snow crunched beneath his feet.
He reached the well sooner then expecting, and began to draw water from it. He filled water up to the brim of the bucket, and turned back towards the mansion.
From the mansion there was a loud slamming noise that echoed throughout the silent land. His eyes widened in confusion at first, and then he dropped the bucket of water to the ground and broke into a run.
When he reached the patio, he skidded to a halt on the doorstep, just barely grabbing the door handle and yanking himself inside.
"Krad?" he called, desperate to make sure the blonde was safe. There was no reply, and the dark-haired man ran into the living room, and then dashed up the stairs upon realization that the blonde was no longer laying unconscious on the couch.
His eyes darted quickly from side to side, and in less then a second he rushed down the hallway to an opened door.
Something shattered in the room, and Dark ran into it, looking about quickly in the room that he had never noticed before.
In the center of the room, Krad clutched his head and fell to his knees, two small vials drained of liquid lying shattered in front of him.
"Krad!" Dark yelled now, running into the room and gripping the blonde firmly as the other gave a small yelp and opened his eyes just enough to recognize Dark's face before they closed, leaving the blonde, once again, unconscious.
"Damn," Dark cursed, and picked up the blonde, carrying him downstairs and back onto the couch again. Only when the blonde was safely tucked in and resting did Dark take a moment to look at him. The reddish burn marks were almost entirely gone. There was hardly any evidence, in fact, that they had ever really even been there.
Curiosity spurred Dark, and he eyed the long collar that covered the whole of Krad's neck. Unable to stop himself, he peeled down the excessively long collar. Eyes wandering, Dark spotted a mark—two piercing. Farther down on the neck was another mark, though this one covered a larger portion of the neck. The skin seemed raw and it looked to Dark as though it had been peeled away.
Dark shook his head and fixed the lapel before sinking down into the soft chair next to the fire. He gazed into the flames, bombarded with questions that he had no logical answer for.
It was horribly late in the evening when Dark heard a rustling noise to his right, and he cocked his head to the side to look at Krad.
The blonde seemed not to have noticed his presence yet, and was running a gloved hand over his eyes.
Smiling, Dark said, "Hey—"
Dark said no more; The blonde jumped, eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Dark. "Dark!" he gasped.
The purple haired man nodded. "Are you okay?"
Krad merely stared for a long moment at the other man, and then looked away, murmuring, "Please leave."
Dark shook his head without a second thought, immediately refusing. "No—you're sick, and I'm not going to leave you here all by yourself."
The blonde looked closely at Dark, and just as he was about to say something, his golden eyes flashed, masked with a thick layer of red.
His face contorted into an expression of pain, and he groaned, closing his eyes tightly and clutching his head.
"Krad…are you—?"
The blonde said nothing, gritting his teeth fiercely as he tried to cease the pain.
That's when Dark looked closely at the blonde's teeth.
His sharp, canine teeth.
"Krad—what's—"
Krad's actions ceased; his eyes returning to their normal color, then a dull gray before rolling back into his skull, before he fell face-first back down onto the couch.
Dark cursed, running over to his friend before checking his pulse and feeling his forehead.
He was breathing easily, and his pulse was still going as solid as normal—and then there was the fact that his fever appeared as though it had died down.
Dark, so overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, sank down to the floor and sat there, staring at Krad in puzzlement.
A long time passed as Dark stared at the blonde, and before too long, though curious as he was, Dark's eyes grew heavy.
He fell asleep before dawn.
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It was at least midday by the time Dark stirred again, and the first thing he did was look at the flaxen haired young man, who remained sleeping in front of him.
Nothing in the house moved. It seemed to be completely devoid of life or movement. It was completely and totally silent throughout the whole house...
…until Dark's stomach growled. He winced at how loud the noise seemed, and rose to his feet in hopes that he had not awoken Krad.
Apparently, he did not, for the blonde continued to remain in a sleep not unlike that of the dead.
Stalking into the kitchen, Dark decided to cook something for the two of them. Or…at least for himself. He could worry about Krad when he awoke again.
Fishing through cabinets, Dark began to grow a little concerned when each cupboard and pantry in the kitchen held nothing but air. They were clean enough…but they were empty nonetheless.
'What does he eat?' Dark hissed, mentally, as he flung open the rest of the doors and cabinets.
'This whole damn place is empty—when was the last time he went out to buy anything to eat?'
Dark cursed again quietly, and then stepped back into the living room. The blonde was still sleeping, and didn't appear to have roused in the slightest.
Dark sighed, running a hand through his thick, purple locks, and grit his teeth in frustration. He really didn't want to leave the blonde alone when he had no idea what was wrong with him, but…Chances were that Dark would starve before Krad awoken if he didn't do anything, so…
Dark frowned and quietly walked over to the door, lifting his thick traveling cloak over his shoulders before dispersing into the chill outdoors.
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By the time Dark got back from town, a good few hours had passed. He entered the mansion as quietly as he could, holding his over-stuffed bag as he carefully took each step. When he leaned around a corner, he sighed in relief to see that Krad was still asleep on the couch, much like he had been before he left.
Smiling, Dark walked into the kitchen and pulled out a number of things from his pack, consisting of bread, meat-both dried and fresh, a canteen of fresh milk and a few other assorted goods.
Cutting a fraction of the bread loaf and taking a bite, Dark turned on his heels and gasped, dropping the slice to the ground.
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Yes…well, it has been a rather long time since I last updated this story. I will say that I have been busy and plagued with writer's block, but that shouldn't happen again for a long while, at least. I'll try to have the next chapter up very soon, so please forgive me (I say that a lot, though, don't I?)